The Stars Are Out
by LittleMaggie
Summary: Basically, dialouge and a bit of a description of the scene at the end of the game where Rinoa is on the balcony and Squall comes, smiles, and kisses her. My first FF8 fic. Real sweet and nice.


A/N: Well, I obviously don't own these characters. Squaresoft does. I think.  
  
  
The Stars are Out  
  
Rinoa's hands tightened on the cold metal railing, her hair brushing her cheeks as she looked up into the starry sky. Though night was just arriving, the stars shone brightly, like dazzling jewels on the black cloak of night. Some of them twinkled, others stood still. The twinkling ones reminded her of Angelo's eyes, when he wakes up from one of those dreams where he is chasing a creature, carefree and joyous.  
Perhaps the stars were celebrating their victory over Ultimicia. Perhaps they celebrated every night, for every small victory that one faces. Rinoa smiled to herself and wondered what was to come.  
She heard laughter in the Garden, and she distinctly heard Zell's shout: "Where'd you put the extra hotdogs again, Quistis?"  
" You keep asking, and I keep saying over there!" Quistis was shouting back.  
Rinoa laughed and then turned a bit, wondering if she should go back inside. They were all probably looking for her, or at least someone ought to be. Was Squall wondering where she was? Her stomach lurched at the thought - she hoped so. What if he wasn't, though? The word 'meanie' popped into her head, but she dismissed it. She had made a little resolution not to use that word anymore in the same sentence as the name 'Squall'. She felt that she had grown to understand the mysterious boy that now led their Garden better then Headmaster Cid, even, from what she heard.  
She, herself, hadn't gotten to know Headmaster Cid as much as she'd have liked, but she figured he was a pleasant person.  
Her eyes moved away from the door behind her and back to the sky. A thin wispy cloud had shrouded the bleak image of the moon.   
" It's nice." She heard a voice behind her. Shivers went down her back in surprise, and the hair on her neck rose. Rinoa turned, and saw Squall. His face was in the usual stern frown. Why didn't he ever smile? Did nothing give him any happiness? " Isn't it?" He added, uncertainly, voice a bit higher then normal. He rarely spoke unless he had to, after all.  
" It's beautiful." She replied, and then pointed up gently to the sky. "Remember that constellation? Zell said it looked like a hotdog."  
Squall nodded silently. "Why am I not surprised?" He murmured softly.  
Rinoa was taken aback by the joke, then laughed. " Good one." She told him, after a while. " You're in a good mood, aren't you?"  
He shrugged his shoulders, his eyes avoiding hers. The corners of his lips twitched slightly, then grew still as stone, his mouth a firm, thin line again.  
" I'm in a good mood." Rinoa continued. " Tonight was a lot of fun. The party was great, and don't you think Selphie looks great in Irvine's hat?"  
Squall placed one hand on the railing, the chipping paint on it shadowed as he leaned forwards a bit, looking down as the world rushed by beneath them. He nodded very slightly, then tilted his chin up. " Aren't you cold?" He asked.  
Rinoa looked down at her bare arms, then shook her head. " Not really. Besides, I like it out here. Very romantic, don't you think?"  
He shifted from one leg to the other, still quiet, a strand of hair suddenly blown out of place and fluttering across his forehead, a thin shadow dancing across his face. " Yeah." He actually replied to a question with more then a body gesture. Rinoa's mind buzzed: 'Good sign, right?'  
Back in the Garden, someone was asking about where Squall and Rinoa had gone. Squall turned his head slightly to face the door, listening in as Irvine replied: " If they're both gone, then you know we shouldn't disturb them. Probably up in the bedroom . . ."  
Selphie cut him off, saying: " Let's get some punch, okay, Irvine?"  
It was just like Irvine to immediately come to a deduction like that.   
Rinoa wanted to burst out laughing, but didn't know how it would get by with Squall. He looked just about as far away from laughing and just as cold as one could be without being a block of marble.   
She had never really gotten Squall to put any move on her, and sometimes she yearned for him to do at least something: a hug, maybe a kiss, anything. Instead, he seemed to move away backwards the more she felt their friendship intensified.  
Rinoa looked up at the stars, her mind making a slow wish, but before she could finish, she saw Squall move and her eyes moved down to him again.  
Squall turned to her, suddenly, and his face seemed to light up, his eyes narrowing as he smiled. Rinoa felt awed, and she wondered if she should comment on it, but could only smile back.  
His hand crept closer to hers on the railing, their eyes still locked, and he said, suddenly: "We might as well give them something to talk about." His body drew her closer, a magnet.  
Rinoa could barely comprehend as he wrapped his hands around her, pulling her close, an unexpected act of affection.  
' A hug.' Rinoa thought, until she felt his lips meet hers. Suddenly, she couldn't think any more except: ' Now the stars really have something to celebrate about.'  
  
  
Author's Note: Not the best fiction I've ever written. I just thought it would be interesting to write about what happened in that little movie-thing at the end of the game, where Squall and Rinoa suddenly smile at each other and kiss. This is my first fan fiction for a video game, so be nice!  
  
I don't think I'll continue because there's nothing to continue, after all. I just gave dialogue to the FMV. ^_^ 


End file.
